


Eve no Okurimono ~A Christmas Eve Present~

by koinuchan81



Series: Takumi-kun Series Perfect Edition vol.1 [2]
Category: Takumi-kun Series
Genre: BL, Boys’ Love, Gii meddling, Light Novel, M/M, Short Story, Takumi isn’t around, Takumi-kun series perfect edition, before they get together, original by Gotoh Shinobu, translation of Japanese novel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 19:43:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15892824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koinuchan81/pseuds/koinuchan81
Summary: Gii has a habit of meddling in his friends’ relationships. This time it’s Takeuchi who needs a little push.





	Eve no Okurimono ~A Christmas Eve Present~

**Author's Note:**

> This is a translation of the Takumi-kun Series Perfect Edition by Gotoh Shinobu. The translation is mine.

We were meeting at one in the afternoon.

“If I’m still not there after fifteen minutes, just assume I couldn’t make it. Sorry I’m so unreliable,” the voice sounded apologetic over the phone.

“On the contrary, I was the one who called so suddenly…”

“Ah, that’s okay, Takeuchi,” Shigeki interrupted. “Actually, I’m happy. I just never even dreamed that I’d be able to see you on Christmas Eve of all days, and it’s not like I could invite you out myself, I mean, I’m nowhere near your level, and, um, I’m honored… and such.”

Standing next to the lion outside the main entrance to the Mitsukoshi Department store in Ginza, Takeuchi Hitoshi leaned on a stone pillar and stared blankly at the intersection, blushing lightly as he recalled his phone conversation with Niijima Shigeki the night before.

Shigeki’s voice had sounded so embarrassed. 

His lover’s voice, that he had not heard for a while.

Shigeki was supposed to come up with some friends to Tokyo to prepare for university entrance exams on the twenty-fourth, and one of those friends had let it slip to Takeuchi, who was already in Tokyo, tagging along with his father who had to spend the end of the year in Tokyo for work. That friend, Otsuka Chikao, was the self-professed “Love’s Cupid” who got Shigeki and Takeuchi together.

After he heard, Takeuchi called Shigeki’s house from the phone in his hotel room.

“I’ll wait, no expectations,” he announced, hanging up the phone.

He had called Shigeki out suddenly, despite the group he was with already having plans for the day, so he could hardly blame him if he had to back out.

“Can’t help it if we can’t meet.”

Even so, here he was, waiting, ten minutes before their promised meeting time, fingering the red and green wrapped present in the pocket of his long cream cashmere coat.

His breath danced whitely in the air.

The bell that chimed at one o’clock had finished long ago, and even if he didn’t want to, Takeuchi could see the clock tower on the Wako Building across the street was already reading one fifteen. He lowered his gaze back to the ground, pretending he hadn’t seen it.

In the multitudes of people hurrying along with their collars turned up against the brisk December air, he couldn’t find the one he was looking for.

He said if he didn’t come after fifteen minutes…

“I guess it wasn’t possible,” Takeuchi sighed, looking up at the colorless winter sky that was threatening to snow even now.

Shigeki wasn’t coming.

“I couldn’t give him his present…” he shoved the package further into his pocket, but his legs didn’t move.

What should he do now? In anticipation of meeting Shigeki, he had cancelled all of his afternoon plans. He knew he wasn’t coming, but he couldn’t get his legs to move.

It would take a while to accept it. He really wanted to see him.

“Sorry, but I’m bad at giving up,” he hung his head and huffed a laugh, but then somebody’s shadow fell across his legs.

Eh?

He raised his head.

“As I thought, it was you, Takeuchi,” the light brown eyes were smiling at him.

“Giichi-kun?”

“It’s Gii, Takeuchi-san. No matter how many times I tell you, you’ve reset by the next time I see you,” he smiled teasingly.

Saki Giichi was a first year student at Takeuchi’s high school, Shidou Academy (Gakuen) high school’s sister school, Shidou Academy (Gakuin) high school. His father had a lot of influence over the running of the bank that Takeuchi’s father was president of. The son, however had a lot of influence over people just because of his presence.

Takeuchi huffed a bitter laugh.

He had an unearthly beauty to him. The fact that he was also very pleasant in addition to having that face made him unbeatable.

“...Gii,” Takeuchi corrected, hesitantly.

“Well done,” Gii smiled innocently, “So, what are you doing in such a place?”

“And you?”

“I’m just wandering around Ginza,” Gii lifted up his shopping bag from Mitsukoshi. There was something a vibrant red and green in the bag…

“It’s a present, huh?” Takeuchi smiled. “A present for your girlfriend? I didn’t think you’d be single, Giich… Gii.”

“Nor you, Takeuchi-san,” Gii’s sharp eyes had caught sight of the red and green package in his pocket.

“Oh, this?” Takeuchi’s face clouded over.

His skin looked like porcelain. He was never very tanned, but ever since he had torn his Achilles’ tendon a few years ago and had to quit playing volleyball, he had been getting paler and paler every time they met.

“You look cold.”

“Huh?”

“Takeuchi-san, why don’t we go get some tea and warm up?” Without waiting for a response, Gii took Takeuchi by the arm and led him across the conveniently green-lighted intersection.

*****

They were shown to a seat on the fifth floor of the Twinings in the San-ai building kitty-corner from the Mitsukoshi department store.

“It’s a nice view. I bet you can see the sea on a clear day,” Takeuchi said in wonder.

“Okay, Takeuchi-san. You sit over here.”

With Takeuchi seated in the chair with a view of the intersection, Gii sat in the one facing Yurakucho.

The ladies taking an early teatime in the store were glancing at them with interest. Gii drew people’s attention wherever he went. Takeuchi wasn’t sure he realized it or not, but he acted as if nothing were unusual as he hung his thin trench coat on the back of his chair.

“I want the Chocolate Frosted tea,” he claimed, not opening the menu.

“Your pronunciation is too good for me to understand,” Takeuchi laughed.

“This one,” he opened the menu, “This is it,” he pointed to a photograph.

“Iced tea!? Aren’t you cold?”

“Not at all. I think Darjeeling would suit you, Takeuchi-san.”

“You’re strong against the cold, Gii. Your sweater is pretty thin, too,” Takeuchi reached out to touch the sleeve of Gii’s sweater. 

“Kya!” Somebody, somewhere, let out a small cry.

Huh!?

That made even Gii take a look around.

“What was that?” Takechi asked.

“No idea,” Gii cocked his head. “You’re quite attractive, so do people give you a lot of attention?”

“What?”

“Your glasses. You’re not wearing them today,” Gii laughed softy. “You were waiting for your lover.”

Takeuchi turned bright red.

“Hey, don’t tease your elders.”

“Bull’s-eye?”

“Gii,” he chided, “Today is your treat.”

“That’s fine. I invited you, anyway,” he replied easily, ordering their drinks from the waiter that had come up to them.

He won.

Giving up, Takeuchi gazed at Gii.

He didn’t mean any harm, so he couldn’t really be angry with him. He understood him.

“It’s too bad you couln’t meet, since it’s Christmas Eve,” Gii said shortly after, sipping his Chocolate Frosted tea.

Takeuchi took his wild strawberry tea away from his mouth, setting the cup on the saucer, “Ah, yeah.”

“That present will go to waste.”

“You’re right. Here, I’ll give it to you,” Takeuchi took the present out of his pocket and deposited it in front of Gii. “To thank you for the tea.”

“You bought it for your lover, though.”

“It’s all right.I can’t give it to him, anyway.”

If he didn’t see him today, he wouldn’t be able to see Shigeki again until after his exams.

“...I can’t take it. Even if the timing is strange, after Christmas or even the new year. Even next Christmas. You should give it to them.”

Feeling like his selfish disappointment was seen right through, Takeuchi lowered his gaze to the table. “Hard to tell which of us is older.”

“Well, we’re only a year apart, anyway.”

“I thought one year was quite a big difference.” 

He and Shigeki were a year apart as well, but Shigeki seemed so much more grown up than himself.

Thinking about Shigeki made him want to see him.

He was pulled back into his previous misery.

It was unavoidable, but highly regrettable that they couldn’t meet.

“Waiting is hard,” Takeuchi said, then gasped. A black shape had burst out of the subway exit and dodged around all the people, running straight down the sidewalk towards Mitsukoshi.

He stood up from his chair with a bang.

Gii pushed the package back towards him, “If you don’t hurry, they’ll go home.”

“Sorry, Gii.”

“You can make it up to me later.”

“Thanks.” With his cashmere coat and the present in hand, he ran out of the shop.

“Hmm.” 

Gii rested his chin on his hand and watched the young man who was standing in front of the lion, looking alternatively at his watch and the crowd.

“If he’s a year older, that means he’s a third year. It’s university entrance exam season.”

He was wearing a short black jacket and jeans, looking like the quintessential rough student. He kept shifting his backpack on his shoulder, though it wasn’t slipping off in the first place, walking back and forth by the lion.

“So Takeuchi likes the relaxed type,” Gii murmured, taking his straw in his mouth and drinking. “I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before, though… Ah, I remember.”

Several years ago, when he had gone to Takeuchi’s house, there had been a huge pile of scrapbooks full of things about volleyball. On the wall, though, were just a few pictures of his favorite setter, Niijima Shigeki.

“That guy there is Niijima Shigeki, several years grown up.” So that’s how it was.

Gii sighed and leaned back in his chair.

The present in its bag was sitting at his feet.

He thought it would suit him, so he had bought it, even though there was no chance of giving it.

“I may not ever be able to give it to him.”

He was an idiot.

The light seemed to be taking forever to change, and once it did, Takeuchi was running across to wait at the next intersection so he could cross to the Mitsukoshi entrance where the lion was.

The student froze as their eyes met across the pedestrian crossing.

“Change already, light,” Gii whispered, standing up with his bill in hand.

*****

Being alone on Christmas Eve isn’t lonely.

What was lonely was a present without a recipient.

“If there’s even a chance I’ll ever be able to give it to him, I’ll keep it forever.”

As a sign of his love.


End file.
